The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 149

Afterwards, as the social gathering’s schedule progressed, the rumors continued to spread around.

Saint Clarice seemed to privately meet with Ed Rothstaylor whenever she had time in her schedule. To the other high-ranking aristocrats, it looked as if there was some type of close contact between House Rothstaylor and the Saint.

Though in reality, it wasn’t all that strange that a house that held some of the highest authority on the continent was interacting with the Holy Father Building to an extent.

Of course, it would be at the level of being in contact with a mere bishop rather than the Saint herself.

“Will you care to share this song with me?”

“Oh my, Ed. It would be an honor.”

The cherry on top took place at the dinner party held at night.

The banquet held in the hall of the second floor was twice as big as the banquet on the first day.

Plus, there were even more distinguished guests that were present on the second day. Thus, the food was more luxuriously prepared alongside the music. There were all sorts of high-quality accessories that were hung on the walls of the hall. On the middle stage, all sorts of storytellers and talents had gone up to excite the party.

Since I was in a position where I couldn’t refuse the Saint’s request, I confidently approached her, asking for a dance.

Anyway, there were many good things about being recognized as a member of House Rothstaylor. Aside from the authority and power, Krepin Rothstaylor wouldn’t be able to hastily lay his hands on me.

Doing that was directly related to my safety, as right now, it was an opportunity to let the world know that I had a strong and reliable person such as the Saint backing me.

“Look over there. That’s the bastard who will be reinstated to the house this time.”

“I attended the gathering yesterday and saw him there. He seems to be a completely different person.”

“Still, how could he change his nature like that?”

Due to my high notoriety, there weren’t many pleasant comments coming from the guests.

Perhaps the gossip had reached Clarice’s ears, as her expression wasn’t all that pleasant as she held my hands, moving to the rhythm.

I quietly bowed my head, whispering to her as if we were having a normal conversation.

“You don’t have to be so upset.”

“Is my expression that bad?”

“You look rather unhappy.”

“I just… I thought I did something I shouldn’t have.”

I followed Clarice’s feet to the music. Clarice was also unfamiliar with dancing, so it seemed as if she was struggling. Still, I managed to move my body to match her movements.

Certainly, it seemed that more attention had gathered on me after suddenly becoming involved with a high-status person like Clarice.

I might be slowly rejoining the aristocratic society… Suddenly, it seemed as if Clarice’s high reputation was taking effect, as more people started to look harshly towards me.

Clarice seemed to be very bothered about that. So, as she danced, her expression didn’t look great.

“Saint, it’s alright. Either way, you have been a huge help to me.”

“It would be great if that was the case. Please call on me if you need anything else. I plan to remain in the mansion until the last day of the social gathering. There are still a lot of people I need to meet with.”

Clarice was one of the most distinguished guests at the event, one that even Krepin Rothstaylor couldn’t treat lightly. With her authority, there was a good chance that she would be able to use her voice in important moments.

After the music finished, it was time to end our dance. Clarice had a sad expression as she tugged on my sleeves.

“I finally had the chance to dance with you, but I wasted the time worrying about things. Sigh…”

After saying that, she let go of her hand. Her slender fingers looked pale.

“There’s still a lot of time left in the Social Gathering, so let’s talk again, Ed.”

“It would be an honor, Saint Clarice.”

After Clarice returned to her seat, I left the center of the crowd.

The piercing eyes of the aristocrats were heavy. Some of them even spoke up towards me, although I politely answered them while walking away.

As the second night came to an end and the third day dawned, House Rothstaylor’s social gathering would also be taking a turning point.

More than half of the schedule had already passed, but we had yet to achieve anything.

On the first day, I was a little nervous. If I acted hastily, then I might have looked suspicious.

But from the second day onwards, we planned to take more aggressive action. We didn’t have an infinite amount of time.

I couldn’t forget my goal. The reason I took the risk and returned to House Rothstaylor was to find evidence that proved the evil deeds of Krepin Rothstaylor.

I knew that Krepin Rothstaylor had carried out all sorts of cruel experiments to get his hands on the magic of immortality.

He sacrificed the lives of various servants to test the powers he received from an Evil God. He tricked the imperial family into allowing banned drugs, and he even killed children… He was truly a maniac that was obsessed with immortality.

The reason he was also interested in Celestial Magic was because it was a power that wasn’t unrelated to the power of immortality.

He was a madman that researched everything for his goal. The appearance of a benevolent duke was nothing but a facade.

Anyway, if he was doing research at such a scale… there must have been a hidden research facility or secret warehouse of sorts. And it was likely that it was hidden away in his very own mansion, as it would be easy to maintain and visit frequently.

“You look quite busy, Ed Rothstaylor.”

It was at that moment, when I was rushing through the crowd to leave the party hall—

“It seems you have become the center of attention at the party. So, why don’t you try and talk some more with the distinguished guests?”

In the midst of all the murmuring, Princess Selah spoke to me. She was standing with her back against a wall as she held a small glass of white wine in one hand.

Once again, I felt the gaze of the entire banquet hall. Aristocrats had to save face, so they pretended to be interested in other things, but… It felt like everyone was subtly glaring at me.

“Princess Selah.”

“Those eyes of yours as you talk to me. That is quite the refreshing reaction.”

After meeting with Saint Clarice in private and even dancing with her at the dinner party, I was now talking to Princess Selah on my own.

Seeing me talk one-on-one with two people who were close to the top of the imperial family and religious group… It was enough to attract the attention of many nobles.

Seeing her talk to me… It was a situation where I struggled to maintain my facial expression.

“Did you know? Ordinary commoners live a life of honor until the day they die just after talking with me once. But even then, it seems that your reaction isn’t all that great.”

“I also consider it a great honor to talk to you, Princess Selah.”

“You have a lot to do, but it seems you are tangled up with some troublesome women.”

She was a needlessly sharp woman.

I glanced towards the terrace. The moon was hanging high in the middle of the sky.

Afterwards, I was planning to sneak out of the party and join Yennekar, who was waiting outside.

We had a plan to sneak into Krepin’s study while returning back to my room, using the excuse that I wasn’t feeling well. I already agreed on that with Yennekar.

“I don’t think it’s a wise decision to leave behind such a joyous banquet.”

“I am very grateful. However, I am not feeling well… I was planning to return after taking a short break from the night.

“Is that so? You looked fine until you danced with Saint Clarice.”

After hearing that, I shut my mouth as I looked at her quietly. She clapped her hands laughing.

“Haha, I laugh because it was a joke.”

“I’m a person with a poor sense of humor.”

“In a bad way, that means you’re boring. In a good way, that means you’re serious. Alright… From what I can see, you’re not good when it comes to relationships with women.”

Princess Selah put down her wine glass as she looked at the orchestra in the corner. It looked like they were getting ready to play their next song.

A beautiful violin melody began as it was followed by the melody of various instruments in harmony, getting louder.

Princess Selah approached me quickly, as if drunk on the music. She whispered into my ear.

“Leaving this grand party behind as you go off to do something. It’s obvious at a glance. Are you planning to go out and meet with that common woman from before?”

She was exactly right on the dot when she said I was going out to meet with Yennekar. Of course, it was for a completely different reason than Selah imagined.

Anyway, I didn’t have much time left.

Whether it was in the morning or afternoon… Krepin has a habit of stopping by his study whenever he had time. So, there wasn’t a time to safely search through it unless it was when he was busy hosting the party.

“I told you before. You should get into the habit of hanging out with people in your class. That would be best for your success.”

“Thank you for your advice. I will consider it carefully and act appropriately.”

“Would you mind if I see if those are empty words or not?”

“Pardon?”

Selah placed the wine glass down on the banquet table.

The wine glass tipped over as it spilled onto the table.

For a moment, the people around us were startled. And in that brief moment, all eyes in the banquet hall focused on us.

The waiter quickly came and started to clean up the spilt wine on the expensive tablecloths.

As they were first class servants, they were quick to work. However, it was impossible to get rid of the attention that had already been drawn.

Taking advantage of this chance, Princess Selah spoke confidently.

“Would you like to share a song with me?”

Silence filled the crowd.

“Watching you, you seemed to have quite the dancing skills.”

Meanwhile, I could see Clarice with her eyes wide open.

For dance requests, it was proper manners for a male to ask the female. And if possible, those of relatively low status should be the ones asking the higher status first.

As Selah was a woman of a higher status, having her ask for a dance wasn’t common. And the person she asked happened to be me, who had just danced with Saint Clarice.

Having a meeting with the Saint was enough to attract people’s attention. But now, having to dance with Selah, the attention of the party really did completely shift to me.

And more than anything, this was the Princess of Frost, Selah.

Wasn’t she the first princess of the Kroel imperial family, who even high-ranking aristocrats were desperate to share a word with?

There’s no such person that would reject such a request.

“How could I dare hold the hands of the first princess? As I am not in a good condition right now, I am afraid I will only bother you.”

After saying that, I politely said my farewells to her as I left the party hall.

* * *

Not everyone let it show, but there was a strange atmosphere throughout the party hall.

Shortly after Ed Rothstaylor left the party, Selah stood alone by the door with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

The first princess’ dance request had been rejected.

He tried to be as polite as possible and give a reasonable excuse, but he refused her… A rejection was a rejection.

“Just now… Did you see that?”

“Did he reject Princess Selah’s request for a dance? I… Didn’t imagine that, right?”

“Didn’t he just dance with Saint Clarice? Did he start to feel unwell during that?”

“That was an opportunity to share words with Princess Selah. If it were me, I would have danced with her even if my arm was cut off.”

Among the gossiping of the aristocrats, Selah snorted.

His arrogance is through the roof.

She didn’t know that he was connected with Saint Clarice. Selah also wanted to maintain an amicable relationship, so she planned to get Ed on her side more aggressively.

The boy who was presumed to be Princess Penia’s closest confidant. It seemed that he also had a special relationship with Saint Clarice.

Princess Selah decided to act more benevolent than usual and ask him first, but Ed Rothstaylor had casually rejected her and left.

No matter how highly others thought of him, and even though he had strong connections, his action of rejecting the first Princess was too much. She understood that he was busy, but that was crossing the line.

However, she couldn’t directly get angry at him. Even if the world were to be destroyed tomorrow, the mission of the imperial family was to preserve their noble dignity.

He threw away an opportunity that was handed to him on a silver platter.

Selah took another glass of wine as she smiled elegantly. The aristocrats nearby couldn’t say a word taking notice of Selah.

Meanwhile, Saint Clarice, who watched the situation, lowered her head. She was holding back her laughter that was rising up. The people around seemed to be bewildered by the sudden situation.

The fact that she had danced with Clarice but refused the princess made Clarice ecstatic. It was a really strange situation.

Well, this is going to hurt my reputation.

Princess Selah straightened her dress as she went back to the crowd.

It was certainly surprising to see that he had a close relationship with Saint Clarice. However, it was still foolish to have challenged the prestige of the princess in doing that.

All the nobles gathered were staring at Selah. Even his father, Krepin Rothstaylor, did the same.

It wouldn’t be hard to take control of public opinion to bury Ed Rothstaylor. She wanted him to pay for his arrogance, but for now she was going to meet with her other connections first.

Commander Magnus and the investor Roland.

She was only able to see Saint Clarice, but she definitely needed to make the other two her own.

The social gathering was a golden opportunity.

* * *

[It’s at the end of the hallway on the fourth floor. The servants don’t come by it often. It seems that the owner of the house ordered them to not go near it…! Lady Yennekar is also waiting nearby!]

Mugg sat on my shoulder as he flapped his wings, relaying the information I asked for.

Rothstaylor Mansion at night. There were still many servants passing by, but the higher you went, the less people you would see.

That was because the majority of the major facilities were located on the lower floors.

As for Rothstaylor Mansion, which has a total of six floors, the higher you went, the more private were the facilities, which were only to be used by the members of the house.

Most of the facilities up to the third floor were accessible even to guests. Maybe that was why it didn’t seem strange if an outsider wandered around the third floor. But from the fourth floor onwards, if an outsider tried to enter, the servants would stop them.

Of course, as a member of House Rothstaylor I was free to enter.

“Young master Ed, I heard that you weren’t feeling well.”

“I can take care of it myself. I will head in first.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I naturally ran into servants as I went to Krepin’s personal study, which was in the corner of the fourth floor. It was rather easy, as I could freely walk in and out.

Instead of entering the study directly, I turned around and unlocked the lock on a window in the hallway.

Click.

I then opened up the hallway window…. A girl riding a fairly large eagle-shaped spirit came through the window into the hallway.

She was someone who was now like family to me.

Yennekar wore a neat royal blue skirt and a pure white blouse. It seems that Yennekar had also been at the party.

“How did you get out?”

“Unlike you, Ed, people didn’t care if I disappeared. I looked around when I came by earlier, but nobody was there.”

“What about Lucy?”

“She’s sleeping on the roof.”

She was on top of the grand mansion? That was unexpected… yet also expected.

If your goal was to detect the magic power inside the entire mansion and catch any unusual movements right away, it would be more convenient to climb to the very top.

In case of an emergency, she must have already been prepared to break in immediately. At first glance, she might seem lazy and disinterested, but she was a thorough person when it came to important matters.

I nodded as I turned the handle of the study, pushing it. The door opened slowly, with a squeaking sound.

I guess as it was a frequently visited facility, the door wasn’t locked. In the first place, it was in the corner of the fourth floor. An area that one couldn’t enter unless you were a member of the house.

I opened the door wide.

—And on the desk in the center of the study… Krepin Rothstaylor was sitting.

“…Heub…!”

Yennekar quickly took a deep breath, covering her mouth with both hands. I tried not to panic as much as I could. I stood still, holding the doorknob.

“You came.”

It was Krepin, who had just been hosting the party.

It didn’t make any sense that the host left his position while hosting such a grandiose party. And it wasn’t even for anything important. He had only come to his study to read a book.

That meant that, most likely, he was expecting me to come here.

“There wasn’t a chance for just the two of us to talk without the eyes of others. So, let’s have a talk.”

Krepin closed the book as he put it on his desk, speaking politely.

“You managed to survive through all those hardships and returned in glory… I’m quite curious about your stories.”

“Father.”

As for what he said afterward, Yennekar and I couldn’t help but be taken aback for a moment.

“—Even now, you call me father.”

He… In the first place, he didn’t think that I was Ed Rothstaylor.

“There are many ways to escape from the fate of this house. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that my son, Ed Rothstaylor, ran away in an unsightly manner. I am sure of that. So, I can’t help but ask.”

A window that was on one side of the study. Outside of it, the full moon illuminated the night.

“You, who are you?”

I cautiously reached towards the dagger hidden in my thigh, taking a vigilant stance.

* * *

To my dearest brother, Ed Rothstaylor.

It’s already been over a week since the baptism ceremony finished and I was officially appointed as the successor.

I have two wonderful younger siblings, so I wonder if I will really be able to maintain my position of successor as the eldest daughter.

Anyway, Tanya still has quite the ways to go, so Ed, your role is more important. It seems like it was just yesterday that Tanya started talking. But time flies, and now she is already starting to train in magic.

It’s been over three years since we started exchanging letters like this. If I had known that exchanging letters like this playfully at each other’s doors would last for so long, I would have asked the servants to deliver the letters from the start.

But then, I guess you would grumble about it not being romantic. Anyway, it’s strange.

There are many frustrating parts of life in the spire. However, I am still living my life my way. But these days, I’ve been feeling quite exhausted, and I have been quite sick, but… It’s still not like it used to be.

Rather, my swordsmanship and magic training are progressing quite a bit. Do you remember everyone’s worried gaze when I said I was going to use a sword that was the size of my upper body? Now that I’m familiar with lightning magic, I can handle such a large sword like it’s a part of my body.

At the last gathering, I held a ceremonial sword as I stood in a ceremonial position. All the old people enjoyed it. Everyone wants to see your face too, Ed.

…I wish there was some progress in your relationship with our father. Honestly, it’s hard being stuck in the middle of you two.

Ed, no matter what you think, I think he has grand dreams and big visions in his own way. Trusting and following such a father is our duty, one we must adhere to as a family.

So don’t say such harsh words.

Unless you are born again, there won’t be anyone else you can call Father.

It is depressing to see such harsh words shared between my family. Please apologize the next time you have the chance.

It’s not good that our father is looking into your Silvenia admission process.

The issue is that you’ll end up being sent to the southern tip of Acken Island. More than anything else, I don’t want my family to be torn apart.

Remember what I said last time? Ed, you said you would definitely go to Silvenia as soon as you were older.

But you can also study magic at Rothstaylor Mansion. So please, think about it carefully.

Until the day we die, we are bound together as family. So please don’t take that weight lightly.

I’ll write you another letter.

Your one and only older sister, Arwen Rothstaylor.